Robert Peernock

Robert John Peernock ( – December 2021) was an American convicted for the murder of his wife, Claire Laurence Peernock, and for the attempted murder of his daughter, Natasha Peernock, on July 22, 1987. Peernock was a former pyrotechnics engineer and employee of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) who claimed he was framed because he was about to publish a book exposing state corruption. He died in prison in December 2021.

Murder of Claire Peernock Claire Peernock and her daughter Natasha Peernock Sims were discovered in the early morning of July 22, 1987, near Tuxford Street in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Claire died from head wounds that were termed "inconsistent" with a traffic accident and Natasha was severely injured, but survived.

Trial The case went to trial in 1991 after Peernock underwent several psychiatric examinations to establish whether or not he was competent to stand trial. Several times during the reading of the verdict Peernock was removed from the courtroom due to outbursts, with the judge eventually ordering his hands be handcuffed behind his back and his mouth gagged with duct tape while in the courtroom.

During the trial, Peernock accused Judge Schwab of conspiring with several others to gain access to his finances. An unrelated search of Peernock's jail cell uncovered a list of names and addresses of jurors. The discovery prompted Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich to request a ban on juror contact.

A later civil trial against Peernock resulted in a court order that he pay $11 million in damages to his daughter for the wrongful death of her mother.

In popular culture The case was documented in a 2023 episode titled "California Crash" in the series Accident Suicide or Murder. It was the subject of a 2001 episode titled "Short Fuse" in the Discovery Channel series Prosecutors: In Pursuit of Justice. It was also profiled in a 2015 Investigation Discovery documentary called A Checklist for Murder, which is based on the book of the same name by author Anthony Flacco. In 2006, the case was highlighted on the “Family Secrets” episode of the Court TV series ‘’LA Forenics’’. However, the Peernock surname was changed for the episode, with Bob Peernock depicted under the pseudonym “Russell Parker”.